30 Days of Xbox SSX Tricky

A game with serious SSX appeal.
Some games age wonderfully, staying just as visually beautiful and smooth to play now as the day they were first released. Me being me, I’m going to say that Bubble Bobble is a fine example of that maxim (and naturally, I’m right). It’s undeniably true that while the Xbox was something of a graphics powerhouse in its day, it’s still a system that sits in the relatively early days of refining 3D visuals. Not to the same extent as the original PlayStation, but at the same time, we’ve shifted so far in 3D visuals that tolerances for grainy visuals are going to hit a few rough corners from time to time.
That describes SSX Tricky, EA’s followup to the phenomenally successful SSX snowboarding game very nicely, because it’s visually rather rough. Yes, the snow looks OK, but it wasn’t that much longer before we saw the much nicer SSX 3, a game which makes SSX Tricky look as low resolution as it absolutely is.

You do need to dig a little deeper than that, however, because despite its visual imperfections, underneath is still the same fun core gameplay that drove the SSX series, with downhill races and stunts galore to engage in. Sure, I can’t help but compare it against SSX 3 (which, oddly enough, I spent an enjoyable afternoon playing just a month or so ago), and there’s little doubt while I’m playing that I’d rather be playing SSX 3.
But I’m still having fun, and that’s really what this challenge is all about. SSX Tricky might not quite look the goods any more, but it’s just as fun as it was when it was new.
Time pressures intervened, and I really only gave this around 20 minutes, the shortest of my play sessions to date. Still, it was a fun 20 minutes, and one that I’d return to… if there wasn’t a copy of SSX 3 within reach, that is.

Fat Duck Tech Retro Xbox Game Rankings

  1. Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time
  2. Outrun 2
  3. The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
  4. SSX Tricky
  5. NFL Street
  6. Disney Extreme Skate Adventure
  7. Rocky
  8. Spy vs Spy
  9. Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death
  10. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball

Another easy one to place, because I do like the SSX games, but Tricky sits in the (pun not intended) tricky position of not being as good as its successor, a rather familiar refrain for sports games, really.
Next time: Check, mate.

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